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Portugal
The Estado Novo Portugues, in English, Portuguese New State, but commonly referred to as Portugal, the Estado Novo, or Porguese Estado Novo, is a Fascist state encompassing Portugal and her Colonial posessions, those being Portuguese West Africa, Angola, and the Portuguese West Indies. The Estado Novo is ruled over by the One Portugal Party, the only permitted political party in the state. The President, Raul Antonio, was elected to serve as President over the Portuguese Republic in 1884. His fascist party had gained the support of the people after he was cast from the Great Party, and the One Portugal Party's gaining traction led to the formation of the Opposition Party. In the 1880 elections, the Oppositon Party won the Presidency over the One Portugal Party, but this was called a corrupt deal by the Portuguese people, and opinion inflamed by Antonio when he delivered a series of speeches in December 1880 and January 1881. By 1884, the One Portugal Party had the overwhelming support of the people, and won the Presidency as well as a majority of the seats in the Senate. Antonio's first act as President was to abolish the "weak, unstable, and corrupt" system that preceeded him and established the Portuguese Estado Novo, the state that exists today. Government The Estado Novo is governed under the iron fist of the President. The President has total authority over all internal and external affairs in Portugal, and all decision made the lower councils (the Senate, Supreme Court, etc.) must go through him. Making a decision the President disagrees with can end in forced resignation, arrest, or at worst, assassination. The people are obliged to follow a strict social and moral code, based on traditional Roman Cathloic values. This code includes subjugation of women, illegality of homosexuality, support of the "nuclear family," and absolute devotion to the state. The people praise this code as upholding the Portuguese ideals strayed away from during the time of the Portuguese Republic. This idea is further enforced by a system of propaganda, perpetuated by the government. Parties The Portuguese government permits only one party, the One Portugal Party, headed by President Raul Antonio. However, several other political parties operate illegally inside and outside of Portugal's borders. Such examples include the Portuguese Communist Party, the Opposition Party, and the Braganzan Monarchist Party. History Background After the Portuguese Revolution of 1875, the newly formed Portugese Republic really only had one political party, the Great Party established just before the revolution. This led to dissent amongst the people, who felt that having only one political party limited their options. They called then-President Miguel de Vasco "King Miguel I," and were repulsed when he went against Portuguese traditons. Raul Antonio, a revolutionary and member of the Great Party, criticized de Vasco on his weakness, and advocated for a right-wing system that would uphold the traditions discarded under de Vasco's presidency. This garnered him praise from the people, however the Great Party worried he was claiming the Revolution was a mistake. He was ousted from the Party in August 1877, and in retaliation formed his own party, the One Portugal Party. He advocated for a right-wing authoritarian state that would uphold Portuguese traditions and stablize the economy, ideals that appealed to the people. He bore witness to the fracture of the Great Party, and ran a hard campaign against the Democratic and Socialist parties in the 1880 elections. He lost that election, however, to the Opposition Party under Calixto Silveira. Infuriated, he took to the stage, critizing the elections and the Opposition Party as a whole. Silveira's four years in office were marked with instability and a growing Fascist population, and was brought to a quick end in 1884 when the One Portugal Party won the Presidency and a majority of the seats in the Senate. On January 1st, 1885, Raul Antonio declared the establishment of the Estado Novo (meaning "New State"), a one-party, Fascist state that would uphold Portuguese and Catholic tradition. After Establishment After Raul Antonio established the Estado Novo, he set about centralizing and stablizing the Portuguese economy, which had been utterly wrecked in the 1875-1884 period. The One Econmy program (1885-1886) set about establising state capitalism in Portugal, and regulated the value of the Portuguese Escudo. This allowed for the Portuguese economy to settle and grow, and under Antonio and his economic advisors, Portugal's economy quickly grew to become one of the largest in western Europe. He also established a more advanced penal code and law system in late January 1885, which set about regulating Portuguese society and recuperating traditions lost in the Republican era. Former King Asvold VI requested his exiled to be lifted in 1886, but was promptly denied by Antionio, still an opponent of Braganzan Monarchism. When Alfonso XI of Spain declared Spain a Kingdom in 1889, Portugal dispatched a diplomat to recognize the new government almost immediately. Likewise, the government ceased recognizing the existence of the Spanish Republic. Modern Era In the modern era, Portugal is on the forefront of the conflict between the Kingdom of Spain and the Spanish Republic. They have lined their borders with Republican-held areas, and rumors have been spread the Portugal intends to take advantage of the situation and declare war on the former Republic. Antonio and his council have yet to address these rumors.